Evaluation d’alternatives d’economie d’eau dans les systemes de double riziculture irriguee a l’office du Niger (Mali)

Face au besoin d’extension des superficies irriguées et la baisse de disponibilité en eau dans les grands cours d’eau, cette étude a été conduite sur un échantillon de sols représentatifs pour améliorer le service de l’eau à l’Office du Niger (ON). Les propriétés hydrodynamiques de chaque sol ont été préalablement caractérisées au niveau de l’horizon racinaire par la méthode gravimétrique au niveau d’un échantillon de canaux tertiaires. Les résultats montrent que les sols à l’Office du Niger sont peu perméables. Les doses théoriques moyennes d’humectation pour porter les sols des parcelles à leur capacité au champ sur la profondeur racinaire du riz varient de 24 mm sur les sols les plus sableux à 87 mm sur sols argileux. Ces résultats ont permis de définir de nouvelles normes d’irrigation en hivernage en fonction des calendriers culturaux de l’ON. Ils montrent que, compte tenu du stock d’eau important dans les sols, les besoins bruts annuels en eau d’irrigation peuvent être revus à la baisse quel que soit le type de sol pour un objectif de10000 m3/ha, pour des débits fictifs continus en période de pointe variant de 1L/s/ha (hivernage) à 1,40 L/s/ha (contre-saison) en tête d’arroseur.Mots clés : Double riziculture, propriétés hydrodynamiques, besoins en eau, normes d’irrigation, Office du Niger

Where Do We Go from Here? Prevalence of Trachoma Three Years after Stopping Mass Distribution of Antibiotics in the Regions of Kayes and Koulikoro, Mali

Trachoma, a blinding bacterial disease, is targeted for elimination by 2020. To achieve the elimination target, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends member states implement the SAFE strategy; surgery, mass administration of antibiotics, promotion of hygiene and facial cleanliness and water and sanitation as environmental improvements. We present results from evaluation surveys conducted in 2006 and 2009 from the regions of Kayes and Koulikoro, Mali. Prevalence of active trachoma in 2006 was below baseline intervention thresholds in all surveyed districts and the national program stopped antibiotic distribution. The prevalence of trachoma in 2009 remained well below levels in 1998. However, in 8 of 13 districts compared, the prevalence of active trachoma was higher in 2009 than 2006. Three years of antibiotic intervention did not equate in all districts to a sustained reduction of active trachoma. No surveillance activities were implemented after stopping interventions. Surgical interventions may have reduced the burden of blinding trachoma but there is an ongoing need for surgeries specifically targeting affected women. Four districts meet the WHO criteria for resuming district-wide mass antibiotic distribution. A community-by-community approach to elimination may be needed in other districts. The promotion of facial cleanliness and good hygiene behavior should be reintroduced

Profiles of Sjögren’s syndrome in rheumatologic consultation in Guinea

Background: Sjögren Syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune epithelitis, characterised by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands, mainly lacrimal and salivary. It is the second autoimmune disease after Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). This connectivitis has not been studied extensively in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective: To determine the epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical and therapeutic characteristics of SS in Guinea.Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.Methods: The study involved all hospitalised and/or consulted patients in the Rheumatology Department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital, Conakry, Guinea from 1st March 2019 to 31st August 2020. Patients with Sjogren’s syndrome meeting the 2002 AECG criteria were included in the study. Patients were divided according to the presence of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SSp) or secondary Sjögren’s syndrome (SSs).Results: Thirty-one patients recruited, who included 27 (87.1%) women, for a hospital prevalence of 3.9%. The middle age was 53.2 ± 14.6 years. The average diagnostic delay of SS was 6 ± 3.1 years. Clinic manifestations were dominated by ocular and oral sicca syndrome (100%), and arthralgia (77.4%). Neither renal involvement nor cutaneous vasculitis was noted in this study. However, one case of lymphomatous transformation was reported during regular follow-up. The immunological profile showed SSA-positive antibodies in 19.4% of cases and SSB-positive antibodies in 32.3% of cases. Schirmer’s test was positive in 15 (48.4% patients. Labial Salivary Gland Biopsy (LSGB) was contributive in 17 (54.8%) patients, of which eight were at stage 3 of Chisholm and Mason (25.8%) and nine were at stage 4 of Chisholm and Mason (29.0%). SSp was diagnosed in 38.7% of patients against 61.3% with SSs, mainly in a context of RA (78.9%). Therapeutically, all patients received hydroxychloroquine and 74.2% of patients were treated by methotrexate. The ESSPRI score at admission showed unbearable symptoms in most patients and the ESSDAI score showed moderate disease activity in 38.5% of cases.Conclusion: Sjögren Syndrome (SS) was frequent in hospital consultations and dominated by secondary SS. More detailed studies would make it possible to better describe all aspects. Key words: Sjögren syndrome, Connectivitis, ESSPRI, ESSDAI, Sub-Saharan Africa, Guine

Characteristics of commercial and traditional village poultry farming in Mali with a focus on practices influencing the risk of transmission of avian influenza and Newcastle disease

We aimed at characterizing commercial and traditional village poultry farming in Mali, with a focus on practices influencing the risk of transmission of avian influenza and Newcastle disease. Surveys were conducted in 2009–2011 in a study area covering approximately 98% of the Malian poultry population. Among the 282 commercial farms investigated, of which 64 had not been known by the government authorities, 83% were located within a 50 km radius from the capitals of the country and regions and 54% had low biosecurity standard. Among the 152 randomly selected village household flocks investigated, characteristics were overall similar to those in other African countries but some differences were notable including a large flock size (median 44 poultry), a low presence of ducks and geese (11% and 1.1% of flocks, respectively), vaccination against Newcastle disease being common (49% of flocks), a low proportion of households selling sick and dead birds (0.7% and 0%, respectively) and limited cohabitation between poultry and humans at night. Our recommendations to limit the risk of disease transmission include (1) for commercial farms, to introduce compulsory farm registration and accreditation, to increase technical proficiency and access to credit for farms with low biosecurity, and to support poultry producer associations; (2) for village poultry, to promote better quarantine and management of sick and dead birds. Such detailed knowledge of country-specific characteristics of poultry production systems is essential to be able to develop more efficient disease risk management policies. (Résumé d'auteur

Varying circulation levels of avian influenza and Newcastle disease viruses in domestic chickens and ducks of the Mopti and Sikasso regions, Mali, in 2008

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Global Citizenship Education in West Africa: A Promising Concept?

From early 2010, the concept of Global Citizenship Education (GCE) has been mainstreamed into international discourse and to a lesser extent in national discourse. Alongside education for sustainable development and education for peace, GCE has become the new buzzword in international development policies. However, its implementation remains problematic, especially in contexts such as West Africa where it faces major challenges. The exogenous origin of GCE and the lack of local stakeholders’ involvement could diminish the relevance of the concept. Moreover, many multi-ethnic West African countries are still facing issues surrounding national citizenship and citizenship education. In this chapter, we discuss the potential of GCE in Francophone West Africa by reviewing the scientific literature on the topic

Risques climatiques et agriculture en Afrique de l’Ouest

Le futur de l’Afrique de l’Ouest dépend de la capacité du secteur de l’agriculture à s’adapter pour garantir la sécurité alimentaire dans un contexte de changement climatique et de croissance démographique. Pour faciliter cette adaptation, la recherche a déployé d’importants efforts pour améliorer les connaissances sur les mécanismes climatiques et leurs impacts sur les systèmes agropastoraux. Or, ces avancées issues de la recherche ne sont que rarement prises en compte dans la planification et la prise de décision. Partant de ce constat, un projet de recherche « Agriculture et gestion des risques climatiques : outils et recherches en Afrique », soutenu par le ministère français des Affaires étrangères et du Développement international est mené entre 2016 et 2018 dans plusieurs pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Il a pour objectif d’élaborer des outils efficaces de gestion du risque climatique pour les agriculteurs, en co-construisant avec des réseaux de chercheurs et d’acteurs directement impliqués dans l’accompagnement de l’agriculture des stratégies innovantes basées sur les résultats de la recherche. Cet ouvrage restitue les principales avancées de cette recherche-action sur trois thématiques prioritaires : les services climatiques pour l’agriculture, la gestion des ressources en eau et l’intensification écologique. Il permet aux acteurs du secteur agricole (organisations paysannes, filières, secteur privé agricole, banques de développement agricole, fournisseurs d’intrants, services agricoles et de météorologie) de s’approprier de nouvelles connaissances et de nouveaux outils pour une meilleure prise en compte des risques climatiques dans la gestion des systèmes de production